MM Part Four – Project One – Exercise Four

Project One – Exercise Four

Working with Stencils

First I went back to my drawings from Iceland to try to pick out some images that might be useful for these stencils.

I started by cutting stencils out of cartridge paper. These were a little too thick when placed on the inked plate and a second sheet of cartridge placed over the top to print from. The ink did not transfer to the paper well so there were some light areas and incomplete edges where the paper did not go through the stencil sufficiently to pick up the ink. Thinner copy paper worked well with these thicker stencils.

Cartridge paper printed through cartridge paper stencil

Thinner copy paper used to print on to

Print from plate once stencil removed

If cut carefully the stencils could be used to give both positive and negative images.

Grass

Stencil

Print from plate

Mask

Print from plate

Trees

Stencil

Print from plate

Mask

Mask – Second print

Print from plate

The inked plate could also be used to add texture to the print. Textures can be pressed in to the plate, masks put on the plate and then the print taken.

Once the print is taken the masks could be removed and a second print taken.

I particularly like the textures left on the plate when the masks are removed. Paper masks remove more ink or paint from the plate than plastic masks. The marks left behind are also different but transfer well to paper.